A Florida Captain's Hurricane Prep Checklist for Your Boat (2026 Season)

Hurricane season in Florida runs June 1 through November 30. If your boat is in the water or on a trailer anywhere in Volusia County or Central Florida, the time to plan is now, not when a named storm is 72 hours out and every marina, hauler, and chandlery is slammed. Here's the exact order I prep vessels for clients, and what most owners get wrong.

When should I start preparing my boat for hurricane season?

Start in early June, before the first storm forms. Confirm your haul-out or dock plan, check your insurance, and stage your supplies now. Once a storm enters the forecast cone, marinas book solid and the good options disappear within hours. Preparation is a season-long posture, not a 48-hour scramble.

The single biggest mistake I see is treating hurricane prep as a last-minute task. By the time a storm is named and tracking toward Central Florida, the boatyards in DeLand, Sanford, and along the St. Johns River are already at capacity. Owners who waited end up leaving vessels in vulnerable slips because every haul-out slot is gone. The owners who come through clean are the ones who made the call in June: they know whether their boat is hauling or staying, they've confirmed the yard, and their storm kit is already aboard. Decide your plan once, early, and the rest of the season is just execution.

Should I haul my boat out or leave it in the water?

It depends on your vessel and your options, but for most trailerable and mid-size boats in Central Florida, hauling to high ground inland is the safest choice. Larger vessels that can't be hauled need a serious storm-mooring plan: doubled lines, chafe protection, and a protected basin, never an exposed face dock.

Here's the physics that owners underestimate. According to the National Hurricane Center's marine guidance, the load on a moored vessel nearly doubles for every 15 knots of wind as it climbs from tropical-storm force to hurricane force. A line and cleat arrangement that feels more than adequate in a 40-knot blow can be catastrophically undersized at 75. That's why a boat staying in the water needs far heavier ground tackle and line work than most owners rig by default, and why "it held last time" is not a plan.

What's on a captain's pre-storm checklist?

Below is the working checklist I run before a storm. Do it top to bottom, because access to haulers and supplies degrades fast as a storm approaches.

• Documents & insurance: photograph the vessel's current condition, confirm your policy covers named-storm damage, and check your hurricane-haul-out reimbursement (many Florida policies include one).
• Remove windage: strip canvas, biminis, sails, cushions, electronics, and loose gear. Wind load is what tears boats off moorings.
• Lines & chafe: double all dock lines, add chafe guards at every chock, and set fenders. Account for surge, lines too short will snap as water rises.
• Below decks: check bilge pumps and batteries, close seacocks, and seal lockers.
• Fuel & systems: top off fuel, charge batteries, and shut down nonessential systems.

For the line-handling specifics, the BoatUS hurricane preparation guide has free, detailed walkthroughs on tying up and setting chafe protection that are worth reading before you need them.

How does this differ for boats on the St. Johns River vs. the coast?

Inland vessels on the St. Johns River and Central Florida lakes face less storm surge than coastal boats but more risk from falling trees, debris, and prolonged freshwater flooding. Coastal and Intracoastal vessels in areas like New Smyrna and Daytona face surge and wind-driven waves, so haul-out or a deep protected basin matters more.

For owners across Volusia County, the right plan is specific to where your boat sits. A trailerable boat at a DeLand or Orange City home can be moved to high, open ground away from trees. A vessel kept on the river needs surge-aware line work and protection from upstream debris. A coastal boat in New Smyrna Beach or Ponce Inlet is in surge territory, where hauling is almost always the better call. There's no single answer that covers the whole county, which is exactly why a pre-season walkthrough of your specific situation is worth doing before the first storm forms.

What if I can't be in town when a storm hits?

This is where a licensed captain matters. Many of my clients are seasonal residents or travel for work, and they can't drop everything to prep a boat on 48 hours' notice. Sea Ready handles storm prep and haul-out coordination for owners who can't be on-site, so your vessel is secured properly whether you're in DeLand or out of state.

Hurricane prep is one of the things a yacht maintenance program should cover before the season, not during a scramble. If you want your vessel storm-ready and a plan in place for when you can't be there, contact Sea Ready, call 305-481-5728 or email julien@seareadyinc.com.